St. Paul’s streetcar with no desire What’s the best way to relieve traffic congestion and provide access to the light rail in St. Paul? According to members of the St. Paul City Council, we need to install a citywide streetcar system. Last week the St. Paul City Council voted to apply for a $200,000 federal grant for streetcar planning. The grant could trigger a $50,000 matching grant from the city, Ramsey County Regional Rail Authority, and other transit organizations. As of now, the city does not have specific route plans, though it would almost certainly connect to the light rail currently being constructed. According to the Pioneer Press, the $250,000 in planning funds will be used for “educating the public about what a streetcar is and is not,” while a consultant would develop the “long-term vision” of the proposed St. Paul trolley system. There is no word yet on whether the initial route planning studies will take into account the skyway systems and their interaction with the overhead catenary wire systems used to power modern streetcar lines. Though merely in the planning stage, some residents have already begun to speak out against the project and its supporters. “Just when I think our “leaders” can’t possibly be more out of touch with the citizenry, they surprise me,” said one St. Paul resident in a recent letter to the editor. Unfortunately for taxpayers, their city leaders seem determined to extract more tax dollars from city, state, and now federal taxpayers for even more questionable transit pet projects, even if the projects resemble technology from the 1800s. |
FFM in (shutdown) news Freedom Foundation staff members have recently been prominently featured in local news outlets discussing the state government shutdown.
Be sure to check out the “FFM in the News” section on our website to find all the latest appearances from us. |
Minnesota State News update MN State News (www.mnstatenews.com) has been busy covering the latest breaking news coverage of the state government shutdown, including theimpact of the shutdown on the private sector, a review of the budget situation, Dayton reluctantly accepting the GOP 6/30 budget offer, and many more. Also, be sure to keep checking in on our daily Shutdown Roundup that features local, state, and national stories on the state shutdown. And as always, be sure to tell your friends about MN State News, follow us on Twitter, and like us on Facebook! |
Local Government Accountability (LGA) stories Looking for a rundown of interesting local government stories around Minnesota? Then visit our newest feature on the FFM website that brings to light some of the best and most interesting news from local governments from across the state. Our latest batch features an update from Fairmont and a very expensive tree, money being saved in Littlefork and St. Cloud, privatization of services in Benton County that will save taxpayers serious dollars, and others. |
